Due to the increased cost in processing fees (From $65.00 to $75.00), the hunter fee will increase from $10.00 to $20.00 as of the 2018 / 2019 season for deer weighing 50 lbs or more (dressed weight), and will increase from $30.00 to $40.00 for deer weighing less than 50 lbs.

During the early season (from Sept. 8 til Sept. 28), the hunter's fee will be waived, except for small deer (dressed weight under 50 lbs), where the hunter's fee will remain at $40.00.

The hunter's fee will also be waived from the day following the six-day firearm season until the end of Winter bow season (from Dec. 9, 2018 - Feb. 16, 2019), except for small deer (dressed weight under 50 lbs.), where the hunter's fee will remain at $40.00.

Venison has become a very valuable item at the food banks. Donations will still be accepted if hunters wish to help with the cost of processing, but will not be mandatory.

The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is asking those who are out in the fields and woods of New Jersey at this time of year to be alert for deer that may be affected by Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) and to report any suspected cases to the Division.

Hemorrhagic Disease (HD) is a common viral disease in deer that is transmitted by biting midges belonging to the genus Culiocoides. Hemorrhagic disease may be caused by one of two closely related viruses, including Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease virus (EHD) or Bluetongue Virus (BT). Hemorrhagic disease outbreaks in New Jersey typically occur in August through October and end with the first significant frost, which kills the midges. Seven EHD outbreaks have occurred in various parts of New Jersey since 1955, and the first documented case of BT occurred in deer in 2014.

Symptoms of HD in deer may include difficulty standing, drooling, lethargy, respiratory distress, emitting foam from the mouth or nose, and swelling of the face, tongue, and neck. Because the disease causes fever, sick or dead deer are often seen in or near water, after drinking or attempting to cool off. Affected deer may also show reduced activity, loss of appetite and develop ulcerations on their tongue.

Clinical signs of EHD may be variable depending on the course of the disease, which may be acute or chronic. As the name implies, the virus (BT and EHD) causes damage to the blood vessels causing hemorrhage within the internal organs. Survivors of the infection or chronically infected individuals may become emaciated in the winter and may exhibit growth interruption or cracks in the hooves.

Deer exhibiting any of the above mentioned signs in late summer and fall, or dead deer observed in or near water should be reported to any one of the following numbers:

HD is not a public health issue. Neither EHD nor BT viruses can be transmitted to people, and humans are not at risk by handling infected deer, being bitten by infected midges, or eating infected deer meat — though the Division of Fish and Wildlife strongly advises against consuming meat from any game animal that appears ill.

EHD virus rarely infects domestic animals, while BT is a known disease of domestic animals such as sheep, cattle, goats, and even domestic dogs. To date, no cases of livestock illness related to BT have been reported. People suspecting HD in domestic animals should have them tested for the virus.

Additional information may be obtained from the State Veterinarian’s Office at 609-292-3965. The New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory (AHDL) can assist in diagnosing suspected BT cases by offering testing and necropsy services. The AHDL can be contacted by calling (609) 406-6999 or e-mailing jerseyvetlab@ag.state.nj.us.

Here is a very easy way to help to raise funds for HHH this holiday season and the rest of the year. Just click on the banner below and do some shopping.
That’s right. A portion of your purchase (which will NOT affect your price) will be given to Hunters Helping the Hungry.

Through December 1st, 2015 HHH has helped deliver over 8,115 pounds of venison equating to 32,460 meals to the NJ food bank system.

But we can do better! Due to the generosity of our volunteers, sponsors, hunters and contributors, we believe we have funds to allow “amnesty” for the hunters in January and February, 2016. Normally our hunters contribute $10 to $20 per deer.

HHH is a 501-C3 not for profit organization. There is currently no state or federal funds for the program. The entire program is run directly from your donations. Over 1,500,000 meals have been distributed since the beginning in 1997. At a cost of roughly $1 per pound!

Earlier this year we had several events/fund raisers: Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays event, Black Knights 3D bow shoot, John McMahon Family night, Striper Fishing trip and the Pequest Open House. All events were very successful. Thank you to all who came out and supported us.

We had a lot of fun with Diana Blass the reporter from Fox news and thank her for the great story.

For 2016; Clay shoot and fishing trip again in the May frame. Among our many other events large and small.

As usual check out our (NEW) website for more info.

Our goal is to have an approved butcher in every county in our great state. We need your help with this. If you know of a butcher in your county (specifically Mercer, Warren and Sussex Counties), please spread the HHH word to them. We will work directly with them to get them set up as an official HHH butcher.

How can you help?! Following are a couple of ideas that that can help HHH with just a click of the mouse!

Do you GoodSearch?
Switch your search engine on the computer to Good Search. www.GoodSearch.com.

Type in Hunters Helping the Hungry, NJ where it asks “Who do you GoodSearch for?”. Your computer will save this setting. GoodSearch is a search engine powered by Yahoo. For every search you make on the world wide web, a penny is donated to HHH. These pennies add up quick if everyone you know switches to GoodSearch!

On the right side of the butcher page there is a link for shopping at Amazon.com Click on this link and start shopping at Amazon.com. 4%-10% of the total cost of anything you buy will be donated back to Hunters Helping the Hungry. This will not change the cost of any items you are buying. There is a tremendous potential here for raising a ton of money, especially when shopping around Christmas time!

Like us on Face book; we have over 300 likes so far! Face book is a quick and easy way for us to communicate quickly with everyone.

For those of you on our mailing lists THANK YOU for your donations, financial contributions, time, and deer. Hunting season is upon us and you played a major part in helping those not as fortunate as most in New Jersey.

Please pass this mailer on to your friends, the larger our network the more good we can accomplish!